Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis earned the second ATP title of his career on Sunday, rallying to upset top-seeded Mardy Fish of the US 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to win the Los Angeles hard-court crown.
Gulbis, who arrived in California ranked 84th in the world after a series of lackluster results, denied Fish a second title in as many events after the ninth-ranked American’s successful title defense in Atlanta the previous weekend.
The 22-year-old Gulbis had played just one previous ATP final, when he won his only title at Delray Beach, Florida, last year.
Photo: AFP
After reaching the semi-finals in Sydney in January he climbed to a career-high ranking of 21 in the world in February, but his first-round victory over fifth-seeded Belgian Xavier Malisse ended a five-match skid.
Gulbis’ lack of finals experience showed when he served for the match at 5-2 in the third set. He opened the game with a double fault en route to dropping his serve.
After Fish held to narrow the gap to 5-4, Gulbis again faced a break point after netting two backhands. Gulbis averted the threat with a drop shot that Fish couldn’t quite answer and he put the match away with a forehand down the line on his first match point.
Photo: AFP
“I was tight a little bit, sure,” said Gulbis, who added that the nerves kicked in more when he served at 5-4. “I wasn’t nervous at 5-2 — that’s why I lost. It’s good to be a little nervous, that’s when you push yourself.”
Fish said he knew Gulbis might be vulnerable when it came to closing out the match.
“I knew he hadn’t been in that position since Delray Beach last year,” Fish said. “I tried to exploit it. It was close. I missed that drop shot by an inch.”
Both players held serve through most of a close first set, although Gulbis said Fish’s strong return game forced him to play more rallies than usual, rather than winning points with his big serve.
Gulbis had the first opportunity to break, but Fish held him off in the 11th game.
Fish claimed the set in the next game, giving himself a break chance with a backhand-volley winner, before Gulbis double-faulted to concede the set.
Gulbis admitted that he “choked” on set point.
“It’s normal in these moments, everybody’s choking, everybody’s nervous. The best guys don’t allow these moments to happen,” he said.
Gulbis admitted that after dropping the first set and having failed to make any early inroads on Fish’s serve in the second, he wasn’t feeling confident.
“When I lost the first set and it was 3-2 to him, I thought I was going to lose the match,” Gulbis said.
However, he gained the advantage with a break in the seventh game of the second set, setting up break point with a cross-court winner, before Fish netted a backhand.
Gulbis went on to claim the set with an ace, then broke a slow-moving Fish in the opening game of the third and again in the fifth en route to a 5-1 lead.
Fish was hobbling after the match, but said a sore heel “had zero bearing on the match.”
Instead, the American admitted he was feeling the wear, mentally and physically, after his deep runs in two straight tournaments.
“I was tired,” Fish said. “I’ve played a lot of matches the past couple months.”
For Gulbis, who is projected to rise to about 57 in the rankings, the victory was a much needed morale builder after his string of early tournament exits.
“I a little bit lost trust that I could compete with the best guys,” he said. “Now it’s a big confidence boost.”
CROATIA OPEN
AP, UMAG, Croatia
Aleksandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine captured his first ATP title by defeating home favorite Marin Cilic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the clay-court Croatia Open on Sunday.
It was only the second final for the second-seeded Dolgopolov, who lost a clay-court final to Nicolas Almagro of Spain earlier this year in Costa do Sauipe, Brazil.
“I feel great after winning my first title,” the 22-year-old Ukrainian said. “I hope more victories are to come.”
Dolgopolov troubled Cilic throughout with drop shots. He broke in the opening game of the match and easily held serve during the set.
Cilic, seeded No. 4, broke Dolgopolov decisively to lead 5-3 in the second set.
Dolgopolov raced to a 3-0 in the decider, but wasted two break points for 4-0, allowing Cilic to rally and level at 3-3. The Ukrainian broke again for a 5-3 lead and sealed the victory with a cross-court backhand.
“It was really a tough match,” Dolgopolov said. “I got nervous in the third set, but I am happy I was able to win. This is a big win for me. I am really happy with what I achieved.”
Cilic was the first Croat to reach the Umag final since Goran Prpic defeated compatriot Goran Ivanisevic in 1990.
“Dolgopolov was better tonight and deserved to win,” Cilic said. “His fast rhythm caused me problems in the beginning, he seemed to be unbeatable the way he played. I adjusted in the second set and managed to change that. It was a pity how I started in the third set, I was too attacking and gave him a few points too many.”
SWISS OPEN
AP, GSTAAD, Switzerland
Marcel Granollers won his first title of the season on Sunday, beating Fernando Verdasco in three sets in an all-Spanish final at the Swiss Open.
The 25-year-old Granollers, seeded eighth, defeated the fourth-seeded Verdasco 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at the Roy Emerson Arena.
Granollers won his only previous ATP Tour title in 2008, also on clay in Houston, Texas.
The 45th-ranked Granollers is set to rise above his career-best No. 41 in the updated standings.
Verdasco, ranked No. 20, was also seeking his first tournament victory this year.
Granollers broke Verdasco’s serve in the opening game, clinching it on a net shot that dropped into play without giving Verdasco a chance to return.
Granollers made the lead hold up and took his first set-point chance on a serve that Verdasco couldn’t return.
The left-handed Verdasco broke his opponent’s serve for the first time to lead 2-0 in the second and served out the rest of the set.
Granollers, a right-hander from Barcelona, broke to lead 4-2 in the deciding set on a Verdasco double fault.
Verdasco had a chance to break back immediately, but Granollers saved the game with a drop shot.
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